Show Me Kindness
by Kisuru-chan
Summary: While Seishirou is out one day traveling, he spots someone in a flower meadow. Little does he know he'll meet one of the kindest people he has ever met in his life. Pre-canon.


Each step was a deliberate side-step through the flower field. It was impossible to avoid each flower, and Seishirou trampled many of them in his wake.

On such a lovely day, the area was magnificent. The chirps of insects and warm caress of the sunshine fashioned a peaceful meadow. For Seishirou, it was a decent detour on the way to his next destination.

Seishirou admired pretty things.

Glancing about himself, he took in the array of wildlife. Petals of flowers brushed his ankles.

In the distance, he spotted a shadow amongst the gathering of flowers. Squinting, he focused until he realized the shape was in the form of person with a long-collared white tunic and black trousers.

 _Here I thought I would be the only one here,_ Seishirou thought.

Meanwhile, the petals tickled his fingers. Demurely, Subaru smiled at them. Only the best flowers would do. He cupped a hand around the stem of his next target and delicately sliced the thick stem of the fan-shaped, red flower out with his extended fingernail.

A wicker basket lay at his feet. An assortment of multi-colored flowers peeked out of the top, and the thorny stems poked out of the basket's sides.

So far, things had been rather successful.

At this rate, Subaru had picked flowers all day long. This was his mission, and he couldn't stop now.

Carefully, he turned the flower and touched its fragile petal. A small blue beetle zigzagged from its pollen perch and gently landed on his nose.

His eyes crossed. "Hey," he said. He put his hand to his face. Instead of being frightened of his pointed fingernails, the bug eagerly crawled onto his skin, its little legs racing up to this knuckle. Subaru laughed and smiled despite himself. "That tickles. Excuse me, I am sorry that I took away your home, okay?"

The beetle simply buzzed in response.

Out of curiosity, Seishirou approached. At first he didn't expect to interaction. Faraway observation would be enough. He didn't have to waste his time—he had many things that must be done—but he also liked to people watch for his amusement. Whoever was out here should have a good reason for it.

The display in front of him was not to expectation. The tender, elated expression on Subaru's face made him pause for a moment and blink at quirk of his lips. He found himself engrossed in the way he spoke to a bug as though it were an old friend.

 _Cute_ , Seishirou decided. Immediately, however, he was bewildered at his own assessment.

Normally, he wasn't especially curious about the passerby he met on his travels. He had a particular tug of interest towards the person in front of him.

Something about it irritated him. For the life of his own curiosity he couldn't pinpoint the reason for it. In this circumstance, he may as well poke his nose in.

Seishirou cleared his throat and stepped forward in the field. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

The bug's wings sizzled angrily. It dashed away from Subaru and zoomed into the bud of a pink flower.

Disappointed to see it go, Subaru waved goodbye.

Then, he turned towards Seishirou. The wind ruffled Subaru's dark hair, and he raised his hand to his forehead, shielding the ray of sunlight peeking out from between wispy clouds. The off-handed smile reserved for the beetle morphed into a polite one.

"Um, I…" He glanced at the flower basket. He may as well be honest even if he didn't want to distract the stranger. "I'm collecting flowers for villagers. Recently, there has been an illness breakout."

An elderly couple in a small cottage nearby Subaru's home had recently developed the sickness. In fact, the sickness was sweeping the village. After the couple, the big family next door to their house had caught the same disease, and blacksmith down the street had received it as well before the family had known they were infected. In short, the village was quarantined for the time being and cautious.

Luckily, vampires did not develop mortal illnesses, at least not within the same capacity of severity.

"I see." Personally to Seishirou, it sounded like a waste of his time. "You must be kind to do that."

Something in his tone made Subaru feel as though he had to prove himself. It was silly, but he wanted to prove that his good deed was worth it. "Honestly, I can't do anything else but give them these," he said with a degree of unintended sadness. "I feel bad if there are good people suffering so close to me."

Seishirou nodded as a form of courtesy, although he couldn't identify with Subaru's desire to please on his own terms. "What will they say when you bring these?" He gestured to the over flooded basket.

Subaru wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "I don't know. I don't know them," he admitted. When he said it his own thoughtlessness to their wishes screamed loud and clear. He shuffled his feet. "They might want another gift. But this is all I can do."

 _I don't have enough money even if I wanted to do more or buy them medicine,_ Subaru thought.

Picking flowers wasn't Kamui's strong suit. He had scoffed at Subaru's willingness to do something mundane for strangers he had never personally known. By no means was Kamui heartless to the cause but he was not privy to bothering with humans unless he had to do so for their necessity. Subaru had insisted it was for the best that they do nice to lift their spirits while they recovered from illness.

His definition of close surprised Seishirou. _Are they 'close' if they aren't friends or kin?_ he wondered.

To Seishirou, it was an incredibly odd gesture. This answer caught him off-guard. He hadn't ever met someone willing to go that far for a stranger.

Intrigued, Seishirou didn't have anything to lose. He suddenly didn't want to leave his side for a while. His aura was the most compassionate he could imagine.

"I'll help you," Seishirou offered, and he tip-toed through the flowers to stand next to Subaru.

Subaru stared at him, confusion written on his face. No one bothered to help him with little adventures like this, and he had resigned himself to doing it all. "This was my idea. I don't want to trouble you."

To Seishirou, the sentiment was old-fashioned and noble. "I insist." He crossed his arms over his chest and searched for a candidate. He was determined to prove his worth, although he didn't have to. He thought it would be a fun exercise; he did have an affinity for flowers and their beautiful nature.

"How about this unique one?" Seishirou knelt down next to a purple flower hidden under a green patch. It had tubular petals and a spike in the middle.

As soon as Subaru was aware of his choice and set his sights on it, he gasped. "No, don't do that—"

But it was too late. Seishirou pressed a finger to the petal. He accidently brushed the tip of the spike, and the spike nicked the middle of his soft flesh.

Seishirou winced. He glanced at the bead of blood that dripped down his finger. Pain shot through his hand and started to gradually climb up his arm.

 _Is it poison?_ _That's new_. It was perfectly bad timing. Seishirou would have to turn back and find a healer.

The flowers in Subaru's hands scattered on the ground. He rushed over and reached out for him.

"Let me take your hand," Subaru said.

Frowning, Seishirou did as he requested. Normally, he wouldn't do that, either, but… The flesh of raw urgency in his eyes made his knees go weak in a way he never felt. "What are you planning to do?"

"I…" Subaru inspected it. A little worry clouded his judgment—what would he think being so close to a vampire?—but he merely sighed. "I won't hurt you."

Seishirou wasn't sure what that meant. Why would he hurt him? But he didn't need to ask outwardly; he could tell that something was wrong with him. It wasn't that painful but he was mildly dizzy.

Subaru raised Seishirou's finger towards his mouth. He placed the fingertip in his mouth and sucked on the wound, licking out the poison out of his skin before it went too far into this bloodstream.

"It's a rare flower which grows around here, and it is poisonous. It can be perilous, but it is treatable. It is fast acting and thrives in the blood," he explained. "In folk stories, finding one is more of a bad omen."

Seishirou's head tilted thoughtfully. So he did know many things around this area. Even though he was a treasure hunter he found those tales fascinating.

"Luckily for me, I don't believe in omens," Seishirou said, scoffing at a story take over his perceptions. He preferred to create his own headway into fortune rather than rely on flimsy promises like luck.

Blinking, Seishirou looked down at Subaru's hands. His long fingernails poked at his skin; they were sharper than the spike but didn't penetrate his skin. A realization occurred based on legends he had heard about these villages. "You're a vampire."

Subaru's mouth went slack. His mistake became apparent to him, and he sheathed his claws. But the damage had been done. He glanced away, a little bit guilty. "You don't really hate me now, do you?"

"Should I be worried?" Seishirou hadn't pegged him as a vampire, but he had no qualms about that. If it was in the face of danger, he was ready for it.

The casualness with which he spoke made Subaru fall into ease. "Usually, humans are frightened of us," Subaru admitted. "Because we drink the blood of our prey, and they think we'll hurt them for that reason. We have to hide who are, even where we live…"

Technically, humans weren't wrong. Subaru never liked to kill creatures, especially not for pleasure.

 _Perhaps the whole thing is an act_ , Seishirou mused to himself. He was used to others trying to deceive would explain the gentleness around him, but he didn't feel that was appropriate to this case.

"Test me," Seishirou assured him. "Drink my blood."

Subaru's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He put his hands in protest and shook his head vigorously. "That's… you can't mean… I don't… You would give me your blood. For free?"

"Think of it as an experiment," Seishirou replied. "Besides, you said the poison moves quickly. It may have spread. I trust you won't drain me dry."

Wearily, Subaru couldn't help but look at him head to toe, puzzled. Broad-shouldered, a calm smile and sparkling amber eyes, he didn't expect his new companion to open himself to possible injury.

At this rate it didn't look like Seishirou's companion believed him. Is it too good to believe? He never sought indulgences, but… Deep down, he selfishly wanted him to smile at him like the beetle earlier.

Seishirou reached up to his shirt collar. He pushed it back over his skin, exposing the curve of milky skin of his neck. He cranked his head backwards. "Show me that you're not the vampire you say you aren't."

Subaru's cheeks flushed. He switched to nodding fiercely out of habit. _Of course I wouldn't do such a thing!_ Any vampire that did was shunned if they were deemed too harmful to weak humans.

But he was right. If the poison had spread to his blood he could easily suck it out for himself. Doing that would be a much faster and effective way.

"I am immune to it, so…" Subaru trailed off.

Subaru's eyes darted towards Seishirou's neck. His eyes mesmerized the veins in his neck, like the pulsing lines in an autumn leaf. It was… nice…

Seishirou's strict eyes never allowed anything to pass him without a challenge. Subaru's arousal to the scent of his blood was notwithstanding.

Suddenly, it wasn't about the blood or poison.

Subaru leaned in closer. He placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at the crook of his shoulder meeting his head and body, breathing shallowly.

Seeing his hesitation, Seishirou frowned. "Is my blood not satisfactory enough for you?

Subaru gripped onto his arm. His blush increased. "It's just…" To Subaru, he wasn't prey. "Common to drink the blood of your, um…. Um…" Subaru's body tensed, and he was too overwhelmed to reply.

 _I don't think you can be someone's lover if you've only known them for a literally a few minutes_. The notion of it made him about as dizzy as Seishirou must feel, although he wasn't showing symptoms of it anymore. But he was precious to him despite lack of knowledge. Most importantly, he trusted his own intuition about these matters. He had a good heart even if it wasn't a particularly kind heart. _I want…_

He didn't answer, and Seishirou didn't prompt him.

Like he said, he was only doing this for him. So any traces of the poison would be discarded properly.

With that imprinted in his heart, he bridged their distance and placed his lips to Seishirou's neck. He placed a kiss there to find his pulse point, to which Seishirou shivered. For Subaru, it was such an bold movement for him to uptake, but he persevered.

He licked a path on his neck to soften Seishirou's skin. His fangs unsheathed and protruded out of his mouth. Carefully, he sunk them into Seishirou's skin and bit down into his neck. For Seishirou, the rush of pain was imminent, but it was also less and number. His hand sagged on Subaru's shirt and latched onto him for safety, and he gasped out of reflex.

Splotches of blood pooled out of Seishirou's wound, and Subaru lapped the blood feverishly. The metallic taste of blood dripped on his lips. The distinct tart taste exploded on his tastebuds, an exotic taste of someone he didn't know but felt connected to. The taste was rough and prideful and addicintg.

The more Subaru sucked on his blood, the greater pleasure tingled down his spine. Perhaps that was the reason Subaru rarely offered to drink blood besides an E; for a full-blooded vampire, the sensation made the receiver feel an entire world of pleasure the likes of which nothing could ever resemble. The flowers crunched under Subaru's feet, and Seishirou groaned, the stress of his journey and the poison's effects draining from his system.

A few rivulets of blood dripped down in Subaru's hurried thirst. The droplets dripped on the flowers, out of sight. He was angry at himself for ruining perfectly good blood—this person he had become oddly fond of in such a short amount of time—and continued to not let anything else slip past him.

Seishirou didn't receive a smile; this absolute reluctance to stop was ten times _better_. He was lighter than he had felt for months and months.

Without being aware of it, Seishirou pulled him down to the ground. Subaru followed him, and they fell to the ground, rolling on the fragrance of subtle jasmine. Subaru pinned him and didn't break his hold on him, either, perfectly content to hang on for a long time.

Once Subaru was done, he pulled away, swallowing the last remains of trickling blood along Seishirou's neckline. His open fang marks started to heal right away. Seishirou slumped against the flowers again, although spent with a peaceful expression. His blood lingered on Subaru's lips, and Subaru relished in the feeling of it. It was the sheer pleasure of taking blood out of necessity from an E that didn't hate him.

Immediately after, he hid his face in Seishirou's shirt. Doing so was wrong, but he didn't have the decency to be seen after that kind of enthusiastic display.

 _I'm an idiot_ , Subaru thought. _I went overboard, and now he won't be able to move until he recovers…_

Subaru rested against his side and put his head on his shoulder. He would store away that memory for later. He didn't know how much longer he would have with this human he didn't know the name of, although he couldn't stay with him forever. After all, he had been traveling when he had stopped.

But his body wasn't tense. When Subaru checked, he was rather serene and, dare he say, amused. Subaru blinked, unfamiliar with this reaction.

 _So I was right all along_ , Seishirou thought, studying the top of Subaru's hairline, _he really is kind_.

Seishirou's eyes snapped shut. He was content to lay on the stretch of flowers like this for a while and not go anywhere. "Thank you… What was it?"

"My name is Subaru." Sheepishly, Subaru glanced up and met his gaze. "And you're welcome."

 _That's a cute name, too._

The wind rustled the flowers rhythmically. The sound lulled Subaru to relax, and warmth from the beaming sun calmed him. It should hurt, but it didn't, and he felt better and well-nourished. Most of all, Seishirou was okay. Without a doubt Subaru cared about the villagers that needed his flowers. Still, staying in the meadow until the day ended sounded appealing..


End file.
